North of Eden
by sapphiraelthefallen
Summary: semi AU told from different perspectives. Castiel has returned to the brothers, but he has a new problem, and it may be worse than Purgatory. in the scuffle to repair heaven after what he has done, his Mate has managed to escape her cage under God's throne. now she's in a mad Heat looking for her estranged partner, and no one will stand in her way. rated M for D/s and torture later
1. prologue

**sorry that i started a new story, but the muse is stabbing me in the ears with this one. i'll try to keep up with both! **

**kripke owns all characters, all mistakes are my own**

North of Eden

AU, story takes place after episode 8:7 when Castiel returns to Earth, each chapter is written from the stated person's POV

Prologue: Dean

Castiel has been on our tail 24/7 lately. Like, way more than usual. He generally comes and goes but now, he just stays all the time. Every now and then I'll catch him glancing around like he doesn't remember who he is, or who we are, and then he snaps back into it like nothing happened.

But the worst is when he just stared at a spot on the wall for a good minute and then jumps and blinks hard, like he's had an out of body experience and he's hopping back into his Jimmy-skin. When he does that, he sort of folds in on himself like he's been hit and is trying to hide from another blow. But always after looking around and touching something, even the floor or the seat in the Impala, he acts normal again.

I can't place it, but it makes me nervous as hell having a half-sane angel around us again. Especially with the job we are on now.

We are still hunting for the other half of the tablet, and Kevin is floating around somewhere close with his half. His mother is being as overbearing as ever, but at least she is jumping into this life and not being a girl about it.

Me and Sam have checked into a room at the Dolphin motel on the side of some highway in Indiana. I wish to hell that we could go back to Bobby's, but it's been destroyed. I wonder idly if Cas could fix a burned-out house. Probably not. Not until he's full-force at least. Cas doesn't sleep, but I get a room for three just in case. He gets weird sometimes and acts more human than he really should. But what the hell do I know, I'm no angel.

I walk across the parking lot, a duffel bag over my shoulder and Sam and Cas trucking along behind me. Cas walks like he's seeing the world for the first time again. He's back to Cas, plain old stick-up-the-ass Cas, but at the same time he's more…timid. I hope he gets over his Vietnam flashbacks fast. I'm not in the business of babysitting supernatural beings.

I unlock the door and go in, seeing Sammy duck through the door behind me. the fact that I don't see a trench coat flutter through that door makes me look up. Cas is standing on the sidewalk outside, looking straight up. His hand goes to his chest and he rubs it for a second before looking back down and meeting my eyes. My brow furrows, and he looks down, trying to hide some strained face he pulls. He comes in and sits quietly at the table, closing the door with a flick of his wrist. He pulls at his tie, loosening the neck a bit, and swallows hard. I turn back to unpacking my duffel bag.

"Sam, why don't you go find us some food, and see if there's a Laundromat around?" I toss him the keys to the Impala and pull out the last set of fresh clothes I have, putting my duffel on his bed and heading to the bathroom to take a leak and change so he can do the laundry while he researches on their free wifi.

When I come back, Sam is sitting on his bed by the door, and catches the pile of clothes I toss at his head. He grumbles as he stuffs them into the duffel and throws both over his shoulder.

"Okay, what are you going to do while I'm gone?" he asks, catching my eye and flicking his eyes toward Cas. I nod once.

"You know…take a nap or something. I'm uh…pretty tired after that ass-kicking back there," referring to the scuffle over Kevin with Crowley. Cas blanched visibly in the corner of my vision. I pursed my lips.

"Alright, see ya. I'll come back with a pizza or something in a few hours," Sam says, and he leaves.

I rounded on Cas as soon as the door closed.

"Alright Cas, you're gonna tell me what's going on in that head of yours." I pull a chair up slightly in front of him, and sit in it backwards, leaning on the back. His eyes follow me warily, but I see pretty clearly that he is more tired than anything. He has big purple bags under his eyes.

"I am tired Dean… my vessel is wearing out I think." His shoulders droop.

"Nope, I'm not buying that. Why did you look nervous when you looked up outside? Who's coming?" I pressed. He hesitated, catching himself as his eyes turned upwards again.

"No one is coming Dean, not that I know of. There's just… a rustling going on in heaven. There is nothing to be wary of here though." Cas stood up and stayed still for a second. "Excuse me for a minute, I need I sleep before this vessel collapses." He walked over to the bed farther from the door –aka mine- and crawled on top of the covers, falling asleep immediately.

I shoved off of the couch and headed to take a shower, mulling over what could possibly be bothering him that he couldn't- or wouldn't- talk about.

**please R/R!**


	2. chapter 1: the hidden treasure of heaven

**kripke owns all characters, all mistakes are my own**

**no sex yet guys, but it's coming! eek!**

Chapter 1: the hidden treasure of heaven

Castiel's perspective

I let myself sleep on the smelly motel bed, and I dreamt of terrible things. The worst of which was a severe pain that kept coming back with no warning. It was strange. I was trapped in a small dark space and something sharp or hot… maybe both, kept stabbing or tearing at my essence, keeping me weak. I couldn't move enough to fight back, my arms were pinned to my sides and my wings were bound tight against my torso with what felt like leather straps. Just as it seemed like I was going to die, the door would open and I would be blinded by a bright light. I blinked hard and held a hand up in front of my face to hide my eyes from the glare. One of my brothers would show up and shove my hand and whatever body part I had managed to get out of the door, and slam the metal cage back shut. I would writhe against my bonds and scream and try my hardest to beat the door back open, only to start getting stabbed by the weapons again. I felt such a terrible loss of hope. Surely this could not be a place in heaven… but my brothers were indeed there. I felt the hand of Raphael in particular as I was shoved and packed back into the box. What _is_ this place? I woke with a jolt, like an electric current hitting my vessel.

Needless to say it was a fitful sleep.

When I sat up, I noticed that Dean had showered and Sam had returned with a pizza and freshly cleaned clothes. It had grown dark outside. Dean eyed me warily, still brooding on whatever I was feeling. It was strange to have Dean not trusting me. Usually it was Sam who was more disbelieving. It hurt. I stretched my arms and back out, thus making my wings rustle quietly. To disguise the noise I reached for a slice of the greasy pizza.

I watched the brothers do what they're best at for a while. Sam sat on his laptop, nursing a beer and reading about whatever new thing they thought could lead them to Crowley. Dean had turned his attention back to the TV. He watched some errant drama show. Soap operas, I believe they are called.

I focused inwardly, chewing idly on the pizza. I did not require food, but sometimes I liked to eat for no other reason than it grounded me. I could hear faint outcries and disturbances of my siblings in heaven. They were still working to repair the damage I had done, and God had returned out of nowhere to heal or make whole several of the angels I had killed in my stupidity. I couldn't help but sit here in shame as I watched them work, and yet here I was sitting in the company of my human charge and his brother in a dingy motel, eating pizza. I was commanded to stay with them, until heaven called me on my temporary and mysterious visits. I found myself infuriated by the fact that I couldn't remember the being who called me there. I remember a woman's voice, and her name being Naomi, but I cannot recall her face or what she asked of me. Except to stay with the brothers and always be at their side.

I realized a second too soon that my brow was furrowed in concentration when Dean slid his gaze to me.

"Okay, Cas," he said, pulling me out of my reverie. "one more time. What is wrong? What is going on up there that you're so concerned with? Are you all here?" He threw an arm over the back of the couch, turning his torso to face me. Sam looked between us, confused.

"Dean I have already told you. I do not know. For some reason I can hear… disturbances. But I can't focus on them. They are keeping me down here."

"So what, your mojo is off? You're still an angel right?"

I sighed. "Yes, I still have my wings and Grace. But I can't communicate with anyone in heaven. It's disturbing."

The brothers sat in silence for a minute, stewing over this information.

"Why do you keep flashing in and out? Like your attention is elsewhere for a minute and then you snap back?" Dean asserted. I shrugged.

"All I can tell you is what I have already told you," I said flatly. The only thing I held back was my nightmares. The Winchesters were no prophets; they could not help me discern the meanings of my dreams. Who knew if even the boy Kevin could? There weren't exactly books on hacking the content of angel dreams.

Drawing in a deep breath, I pushed off of the bed. "I am going to clean up…" I let my speech trail off as I made my way to the bathroom. They thought I was going crazy again. Let them… I was too tired to care at the moment.

I never really washed this body. If I got dirty, which was a rare occurrence on Earth, I generally just made myself clean with my Grace. But I felt like the flow of hot water would do my tired vessel some good. I was feeling more and more human since my return. I did not lie to the brothers, I was every bit the angel I was before I became god-like. But I was just so very…burnt out. I was tired of going. There was nothing for me anymore.

I turned my wrist, making the water go on full heat, and tripped the shower trigger. Taking off my vessel's overcoat and suit, I started to feel the effects of my bluff with Crowley. I'd never let the boys know it, but I was still slightly weak from it. When i was naked, I turned into the mirror, realizing exactly how much Heaven had healed me in my return from Purgatory. There wasn't a scratch or bruise on my vessel, and I know I hadn't healed myself. When I got back I was too weak to even call Dean properly, let alone fix myself. I watched the mirror start to fog up, covering over my reflection. My wings were visible in the fog and I rustled them, stretching slightly, happy to have them back in such full force. After I was brought back and before purgatory, they were present but very weak. I couldn't fly except maybe a few feet, a mile at the very most. There was nothing physically wrong with me.

I stepped into the hot shower, stepping forward until my shoulders were directly under the water stream. I felt the muscles relax as the heat seeped into my skin. It was wonderful. I should do this more often.

I needed to focus, and it seemed that the shower is where most humans do their best thinking. So I decided to give it a whirl. I focused all of my being on heaven. I needed to know, needed just one of my kin to answer me, recognize my call and give me some answers since I could not travel there except when called.

What I received was not expected.

I fisted my hands against the wall under the shower head. A face was staring back at me, a female face, and yet I could not place her. Her name was escaping me, no matter how I tried to grasp at it. I was given the distinct feeling that she had been erased. An angel that was hidden; purposely obscured from view. Why would an angel be shielded from other angels? Not since Lucifer was cast out had someone been exiled from us.

As I came back into myself, I shook my head, not knowing how to categorize the situation. Why was she answering me? Was she the cause of the rustlings in heaven? I couldn't answer any of these questions.

Suddenly, I was taken to my knees in the shower, the stream coming down on my skull. My ears were ringing so loud that my vessel's eardrums burst and bled. It was physically painful; what was this? I saw a brief flash of the same woman's face behind my eyelids as the sound pounded in my ears and my vessel's skull felt as though it would crack open from the pressure inside. The sound suddenly stopped as if a switch got tripped, and I noticed that the water beating down on me had turned cold. Standing, I shook my head hard, rinsing the blood from my ears off of the sides of my face. I watched the drops his the swirling water in the bottom of the shower, and when I was satisfied that I had gotten it all off, I remembered the brothers. Had they heard the noise? Were they okay?

I spun the water dial, turning off the shower and throwing back the curtain. Forgetting my clothes, I wrapped a towel around my waist and ran out of the door bathroom door into the main motel room.

My face must have betrayed my alarm, because both of the brothers jumped up and took a few steps toward me, hands raised in my direction. I stopped dead in the center of the doorway to the hall where the bathroom was, looking around the room with narrowed eyes. I had stopped just short of an angel trap that the boys had drawn into place since I had ducked into the bathroom. They had left me enough room to walk around it, but if I got in it I would be stuck. It was insurance, I assumed. Something was here, or was trying to come here, I could sense that much. And it was so powerful; stronger than Crowley for certain, maybe even matching Michael.

"Uh, Cas?" Dean said cautiously. "What's going on?" his face was distorted with curiosity and concern.

"I…I'm not sure Dean." I told them that I thought I heard a noise in the shower, and came out here to make sure that they were safe. They seemed to buy it. I turned back to the bathroom to get my clothes. While I was in there I heard a knock on the door. Probably a pizza being delivered, I thought as I pulled on my vessel's trousers and undershirt. I walked back out into the main room, and stopped still at the scene.

The female I had seen in the shower incident was standing in the center of the room. Sam was unconscious on the floor next to her feet, and Dean was in the corner of the room with his favorite silver gun trained on her, ready to shoot. The figure turned to face me fully. There was something…familiar in her face. I couldn't place it still, but I had a draw to her that I had never felt before. I _wanted _to know her, and wanted to know why I felt like I should have never forgotten her.

Dean pulled the trigger, and a bullet streamed toward her head. Without breaking my gaze or even blinking, she turned the bullet into dust and the particles swirled around her. With a flick of her wrist, Dean's head slammed against the wall against which he was pressed, and he fell to the floor unconscious.

As I stood there half dressed and confused, she stepped toward me, through the angel and demon traps that the brothers had drawn under the rugs and on the ceiling. She was caught in neither. But I _distinctly felt_ that she had come here from heaven, and was a creation of heaven itself. What was she?

As the woman stopped before me, she whispered,

"Hello, Castiel." As I opened my mouth to ask her who she was, she pressed a finger to my lips, silencing me. I watched with widened eyes as she moved those fingers up to my forehead. Not knowing if she was about to burn me from existence, I slid my eyes shut and unwillingly sank to my knees before her. She maintained her fingers pressing into my forehead, and a swirling vision came to me. She was so powerful; no wonder I felt her presence emanating from heaven even when I was blocked from all others.

I was taken into another time and dimension, swirling before my eyes as I remained kneeled on the floor of the motel.

**please R/R! i need direction and feedback!**


	3. Chapter 2: the stolen life

**kripke owns all characters, all mistakes are my own.**

**this chapter is long and contains torture, but has a LOT of info packed in. **

**enjoy!**

Chapter 2: The Stolen Life

Castiel's POV

As I knelt on the floor, at the total mercy of the unknown and yet familiar creature who stood before me, I began to realize through these projected visions who she was.

First flashed a scene in which I was not yet in my Jimmy vessel. It was ancient times; Noah or perhaps even earlier. No…Adam and Eve. As I watched them walk around the Garden of Eden, I became aware that I was not looking down on the scene, or watching it, I was standing in the scenery. The mysterious woman was standing next to me, holding my hand. She was looking around the garden wistfully, not moving from my side. I couldn't help but be more interested in my silent partner than her images.

In a rustle of movement, the First Man and First Woman came through the trees, followed by a few errant animals, stark naked. We were watching the Fall of Man. Why? They were arguing about whether or not Adam was to eat the Fruit. He did.

In a flash of light we heard the Voice of our Father condemning the fallen humans to perdition, sending them out into the more barren earth and sealing Eden forever. He placed Uriel at the gates with his full armor and sword drawn. This was Uriel's first command.

In a twist of scenery, we were standing outside of Eden, looking upon Uriel. His head tilted up, listening to the Voice of God. He turned around and opened the gates, striding inside. I made a move to follow him, curious. But my hand firmly in the grasp of my mysterious partner made me stop. She shook her head as I turned to her, and continued to watch the scene unfold. I looked back between the gates.

Uriel strode to the center of Eden, where the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil stood. He raised his sword and cut down the tree in one hard swing. The ground quaked. Uriel looked to heaven and stretched his wings, flying home.

My eyes widened and my breath left me. This woman, my partner, in the same vessel that she is in now, walked before us. She was hand in hand with God, who led her to the gates of Eden. She looked terrified and was trying weakly to pull her hand from the Father's. She looked over her shoulder, tears streaming down her face. Her gaze was behind us. I turned and saw myself- before I claimed Jimmy- walking toward her and God. I was pure essence. My hand lifted and caressed the face of the scared girl, her breath hitching in her throat.

"My love, be calm. Father will not hurt you. Have faith." My other figure said to the girl. My love? What? I had never claimed a mate…. God tugged on her hand, bringing her attention from me to him. I looked at my partner now. She was trembling with anger, I felt it pulse through her essence and her hand clenched mine.

I heard God's voice. "My child, I need you for this. Be encouraged, you are the strongest of my children. Only you can handle this burden." The girl stilled before god, still hand in hand with him. I watched our Father lift his hand toward the gate, and suddenly the Garden was gone. It was in his hand. A hand which he placed hard against the chest of the vision-girl. She screamed and convulsed, and my other form did nothing. I foolishly made to move toward the vision, but my partner once again held me back.

When the girl in the vision was again silent, God turned to my other form. "Castiel, my favorite angel. I have made you so perfectly. All the valor and strength of your older brothers, and the questioning nature of Lucifer, with none of the disloyalty. You are the best of them. Do not be troubled, your mate is fine." He knelt to pick her up. She was unconscious in his arms. With a free hand, God stretched forth two fingers and placed them on my other form's forehead. God blanked my memory. "You are alone now. Accompany your brothers to the front lines. Be a good soldier for me Castiel. You will be _very_ important to us in the future."

The scene faded.

I looked at my partner, trying to bring up the memories of us together. She did not look back at me, but she smiled. Another scene came into view. Heaven.

We were in the throne room of the Father, a place I had never before seen. Only the seraphs and the archangels were allowed in here. I looked around at the lush furniture and décor, but when I saw the path of my partner's eyes, I followed. She pulled me forward by my hand, and I followed easily, drinking in the visions out of pure curiosity. She stopped before the throne and released my hand. I looked at her, brow furrowed. She pointed under the throne. I knelt and pulled aside the tassels to reveal a grate in the floor. Sitting back on my heels, I looked up at the woman, who looked back at me plainly. I was meant to go on. I shouldered aside the throne and laced my fingers into the grate on the floor. I heard faint whimpering and the occasional muffled scream of pain. I knew this sound…from the dreams! Sure enough as I ducked my head into the narrow hole I had created, I looked down and saw a small cage with my partner trapped inside. She was still in her current vessel; the body had to be thousands of years old at this point. Blood dripped down her entire body, and she was tensed up all over. Her wings had been laced through the holes in the cage, and had been hacked away, leaving bloody stumps with a few feathers still attached. I felt my own wings shuffle in discomfort at the level of pain this girl must be in. he was bound elbow to wrist and knee to ankle within the cage. She still squirmed and writhed, trying to burn the ropes off of her only to be stabbed in a non-viable body part by an angel blade. Someone was keeping her hidden and weak. She would never break out of this alone, no matter how powerful she was.

I pulled my head back out of the grate and sat back, looking up at the girl who used to be my mate. Her eyes had grown soft. And I realized for the first time how beautiful her vessel was. I could see why she would have fought to keep it for so long.

She held her hand out for me to take it again. Another scene was coming up as this one faded. She was showing me what she felt in the box.

She had never stopped looking for me, even watching the Winchester brothers to keep an eye on me. Yes she felt the pain as she was kept weakened and powerless, as her wings were ripped off piece by piece, which was excruciating beyond belief. But most of her discomfort was felt by being away from her mate for so long, and having me just out of reach. For a few thousand years she endured this way. God had visited her often, making this room his throne room so that when he had meetings in here he could disguise the noises. She was truly hidden from everyone. The creature he created to torment her was alone; it had no name and no kin. Its sole purpose was to keep her weak and unable to escape. He had come down to her one day, shortly after imprisoning her, and attempted to erase her memory as well. The problem was that when he came down he had removed the tormenter, and she slowly gained strength back as God talked to her, telling her why he chose her for this task. And why he had to keep her hidden.

"My darling, my strongest child, let me ease your discomfort. I know that you pine for him. I took you from his memory so that when he is on the front lines defending Heaven he will not be in danger. His mind will be entirely on his task and not on his missing mate." She spat at him, more blood falling from her mouth as she caught her breath from the screaming. Our Father sighed.

"You selfish bastard," She cursed at him. He allowed it, bringing his gaze to her ravaged body instead of her eyes. "You sit here and pretend that I am something great, that you did us a favor. You were jealous. Do not try to fool me. you took me away from him because you wanted your favorite to yourself. One day I will get out of here, _Father_ and I will cause you grief beyond repair for what you have done. Do not think that you can erase my memory like you did him. He was a child compared to me" her breath came heavy and more blood dribbled out of her mouth. I noticed the broken teeth and lacerated lips as she talked to God, amazed that he did not smite her for this level of blasphemy. To my amazement, God simply sighed heavily and healed her vessel, taking away the cuts and bruises and blood. He took the remainders of her wings away though, leaving her Essence intact but removing her angelic definer. He put his hand on the side of her face, and she tried to jerk away from his touch. A faint glow colored his palm on her cheek, and her face remained calm and flat as his brow furrowed.

"I told you not to try, Father. Even in this torment I am as strong as you. This was your doing. You will not keep him from me forever."

God grimaced and blipped out of the room. The torturing creature came back in, and seeing his object clean bothered him. An angel blade rammed into her shoulder blade, the tip coming out the front of her chest above her right breast. A piercing scream echoed through the dungeon.

I closed my eyes and I felt her palm land gently on my face. I was back on my knees in the motel room. The brothers have woken up and are sitting side by side on the couch, not moving. She was holding them there.

I pushed up off the floor and took my lost mate in my arms. She looked up at me, and without thinking I leaned down, brushing my lips against hers.

**please R/R! sex coming up soon :D**


	4. Chapter 3: the angel received

**yeah i know i'm updating this like wildfire, hope you guys are appreciating it!**

**kripke owns all characters, all mistakes are my own**

Chapter 3: the angel received

Dean's POV

Sam and I came-to while that weird-ass woman was looking down at Cas. She had her hand pressed to his forehead, like what Cas does when he flashes-out demons. I was momentarily worried that she was here to kill him, seeing the tortured look on his face. I looked over at Sammy, passed out on the floor beside the window. She had gotten him first when she appeared in the room. He lunged at her, demon blade drawn, and she swerved, kicking him in the side of the head and knocking him out cold. I took my time, pulling out my silver gun. She was affected by neither, and I have to admit, the trick she pulled disintegrating the bullet surprised the hell outta me.

As I stirred, Sam let out a loud groan and rolled over clutching the side of his head. The woman maintained her gaze on Cas kneeling before her, and as I reached Sam at an army-crawl pace, she tilted her head, sloping it to the right. I felt my self- and saw Sammy- being lifted up and placed on the couch, facing her and Cas. We couldn't move a muscle. I didn't know who this bitch was, but she was probably the most powerful thing we had been around since Cas went all god-powerful on us.

Her head went back straight, and we were held secure by what felt like the arms of a roller coaster ride holding down our laps and torsos. I looked over at Sam, who sent me back an equally questioning glance. Neither of us knew what kind of being could do this.

Finally, Cas's eyes closed, not looking up at her from his knees anymore. We watched in almost horror as he stood up, her hand sliding off of his face. His eyes were kinda glazed, like he had seen God himself or something. Was the girl?…no way.

Or…oh God no. That was a look of love. His brows knit in slight confusion and his lips parted, placing one hand on the side of the woman's face.

"Cas, NO!" I yelled, trying as hard as I could to break free of whatever this demon had done to bind us. Sam started whispering an exorcism, only to have his jaw snapped shut by our visitor. She didn't even _look _our way! How the hell was she doing this?

Cas kissed the girl, his eyes sliding shut and his arms slowly wrapping around her, holding her tiny frame to him.

"Cas!" I yelled again, straining every muscle of my body against the force holding us down. Sam just stared at the two in disbelief.

Cas pulled away from the girl's face, still staring at her in this weird confused way. He shifted his eyes to us on the couch. "I am sorry Dean. Let them go, they won't hurt me, and cannot hurt you." He said to her, like he was almost asking her permission. The girl twisted, looking at us over her shoulder. I was struck at her beauty. Whatever vessel she possessed was picked for a reason. She was tiny, much shorter than Cas but built strong. Her shoulders and hips were wide enough to elicit curves, and her small firm breasts were held high and proud by her straight back. She had long dark hair and shining grey eyes that I could see from across the room. In a word she was magnificent.

I dropped my gaze without intending to, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Sammy do the same. We were released and I stood up quickly. Neither Cas or the girl budged.

"Give us some answers," I directed at Cas, not really caring which of them answered me. He stood facing us now, but his left hand held her right down by his side. Her elbow was crooked from their height difference. Looking at her head-on, it seemed now that she was from a different time entirely. I wondered vaguely when this creature had acquired this vessel.

"What do you want to know, Dean?" the girl chimed at me. Her voice flowed like music, and had a strange accent. Not from the US at least, something European. I sat back down next to Sam as he had never stood up. His brows were knit in confusion but mostly curiosity. The girl put off an aura that made you not even want to harm her. I found myself actually becoming invested in her words, wanting to know her story rather than wanting to hear it. She was not a threat. Not now that she had won over Castiel.

"I wanna know who and what you are. Why you're so powerful, and…just answer the questions!" I stammered over my words, getting angry at the end. She laughed, a sound of patience and knowing. It pissed me off even more, but I didn't move against her.

"well, my name has been changed since I was created, Dean. First I was Rochiel, a cherub born out of power and lightening to slay the enemies of heaven with naught more than a glance. I was Castiel's mate. But a series of what you could call "unfortunate events" took me from him. Now I am called Eden. I escaped from heaven a few days ago, and have been trying to find Castiel since." My eyes went to Cas, who stayed next to her motionless. He looked naked to me without his stupid trench coat.

"to make a long and extremely violent story short for you, God took me from Castiel after the Fall of Man, to stuff me with power almost more mighty than himself, and then he hid me for thousands of years under torture to keep me weak. I managed to escape in the scuffle of repairing heaven from Castiel's mistakes a year ago." Cas lowered his head further. "my cage was left unguarded for a second, and i broke through my bonds. You see, God tried to hide a deep, dark secret inside of me, to cover up a mistake he made. All he managed to do was destroy the love of his two favorite angels, and lose them forever. But now that I am out of my cage, my power grows by the minute. In the box I was almost as powerful as God himself, what with the secrets he buried into me. Eden, Sodom and Gomorrah, all the souls of his most fallen and beloved creatures: I hold them all. I am nothing more than a well of filth to him. But I was always the strongest. That is why he chose me and not one of his other angels. Why he took me away from Castiel is yet another subject to be broached. But I am here to help you on your mission to reunite the two halves of the tablet and seal the gates of hell forever. All I request is that we either lock God inside as well, or we give him a major attitude adjustment."

"Wow." Is all I could say at first. Sam backed me up, knowing the next question to ask.

"How can you help us find Crowley and the other half? How are you better than Castiel?" he said, keeping his tone even but soft.

She looked at Cas, his head still bowed slightly. He turned his head to look back at her. They had a silent conversation, her face twisting in worry, which ended with Castiel taking a deep breath and looking back at us. "Next to God himself, Eden is the most omniscient creature on earth. She can see each plane of existence at one time, and know exactly what is going on everywhere at any given moment in time. She can find Crowley and pinpoint him unless he has found out that she has escaped. Which then he will try every measure of defense to hide his being from her. There are not many ways to hide from a being as powerful as her."

"Wait, next to God? I thought you said forever ago that angels are not omniscient?"

"I did Dean, but Eden is no longer an angel. He tore her wings off while she was captive, but he kept pumping more and more souls into her. Remember how I was after I consumed everything in Purgatory? I could do anything I wanted, but I was still not God? That is how she has become, only God did it to her himself. It can't be taken back. No more than Lucifer could be one of God's seraphs again after he was cast out." He finished, watching his partner drift over to a bed and sit on the edge. He moved to stand beside her, as if now that they were back together they couldn't be separated. Cas begun again,

"Dean," I snapped my eyes back to him, moving to stand again. Sam didn't get up but he looked out the window. "We must go now. Only for a little while. We will be back before you leave in the morning." At my scowl he looked to Eden. She must have seen our decision to hit the road again in search of Crowley and told him. I hadn't really made the choice yet. Cas turned back to me. "She says she will find Crowley tonight and tell you in the morning, but that you will need a night of rest before seeing him. He's got a troop of demons protecting him now. He will go nowhere unguarded, not now that he knows at least I am on his tail, and I am back to power. But once he senses Eden he will go full force, do anything to escape and protect himself. She can kill him without a thought. Even if she were reduced to her old angel standards that would be true." My eyebrows raised.

"Wow," Sam and I said in unison.

The girl on the bed smiled softly. She stretched her hand out to Castiel, who took it immediately. Eden looked back to us, and said softly, "We will be back with good news, brothers." And they disappeared.

Sam and I got off the couch. It was almost daylight and we had yet to sleep. I walked around, looking for any trace that she might have left behind. Sam rubbed the side of his head where she had kicked him, but other than that he seemed fine with the situation.

"Sammy, are you really okay with the fact that we _just_ got Cas back and now he is being taken away again?" I looked at him incredulously, my arms thrown out to my sides. He sat on the edge of his bed and put his chin in his hand, resting his elbow on his knee.

"I don't know what to think Dean, but I believe her. Did she give us a reason not to? A creature that can walk through both angel _and _demon traps, and throws us around without moving her hands or anything? I think that if she wanted us out of the way we would be. I can't help but think that the only reason that we are alive is because of Cas." I sighed. He was right, of course. I landed myself on the other bed. We apparently had nothing to do except sleep now. Without Eden's direction we were taking shots in the dark trying to find Crowley. I decided to call Kevin for a check-up.

The dial tone rang to voicemail. Weird, he usually answered fast for us. I left him a voicemail. "he Kevin it's Dean. Call back and let us know that you guys are safe and sound. We have a…new partner. We will try to find you guys soon so you can meet her." I snapped the phone shut, hanging up. Sam shoved off the bed and headed toward the bathroom to clean up.

I heard the door shut and the water turn on, and kicked out of my boots and jeans, taking myself down to boxers and my undershirt. The blankets were soft and smelled like that feathery twit, since he stole my bed earlier for his nap. I was glad he was gone; maybe the son of a bitch would finally lose his virginity. It was nice to not be watched for once. It was back to me and Sam, even if it was only for the night. I rolled onto my side, making sure the ringer was turned all the way up on my phone just in case Kevin called back. I punched the pillows into submission and heard Sam sloshing water around in the shower, washing his girly- ass hair. I drifted off to sleep before he shut off the water, letting the sound of the shower calm my nerves.

**please R/R! i loooove reviews! makes my day**

**more coming soon, hopefully by the end of the week so i can get some holiday readers! **


	5. Chapter 4: animalism

**hey guys :) sorry this update took the whole break, i had about 45 pages worth of dissertation due this week :( not fun. this is my relaxing time, writing this, and i am so glad i have a bunch of followers! hope you guys love this sexy chapter!**

**all mistakes are my own, kripke owns all characters**

**this chapter is rated M for explicit sexual content**

Chapter 4: animalism

Castiel's POV

We landed on a hill surrounded by woods in the outer-lands of Alaska. Somewhere in the tundra, I know not precisely where. At the moment I didn't care. I followed silently behind my estranged mate as she lifted her hands in front of her. Neither of us felt much of the cold, but it was uncomfortable to not be indoors out here. I watched in dumbfounded wonder as she created a small cabin with nothing more than her will. It was like when we watched God create the earth. There was nothing to it.

Trees from the surrounding woods were split into planks, each sliding against one another to make joists and corners for the one large room. Huge rocks pulled themselves out of the frozen creek beds at the base of the hill, floating up to make a chimney on one side, small logs filed in to make a small fire place beneath the chimney. These things happened before my very eyes, and yet I could not comprehend them. How was she this powerful? How was her vessel not being crushed under the weight of this immense burden? She had not even moved from me other than to raise her hands, and yet here we were staring at a tiny cottage made from nothing more than her Grace and some frozen timber. She lowered her hands and took mine silently, throwing a glance back at me to ensure that I followed. I wasn't sure I could let her leave my sight anymore.

As we entered I realized that somehow she had filled the room with one large bed, complete with bedding, and the fire had started. There was a soft throw over the mattress, which I let my hand trail over absently as I looked around.

You would think, being an angel, that there would be little to surprise me anymore, but I have discovered that the things I love the most are those that surprise me. This fact is the same for the Winchesters. Now this woman, who was apparently mine, was filling that role.

The wind outside from the tundra whistled around the small house, and I came to realize that there were windows as well, things that she had not taken from the elements around us, but from bending the very atoms themselves that were already there into something new. I now realized that this is how the bed had been made. Minutes ago this bed was a gust of wind, made of swirling and thriving atomic particles, and now it had been shaped into a bed by the sheer Grace of my mate. I was truly in the presence of someone as powerful as our father.

As I turned around the small room, thinking of each of these things, I came to be aware that my mate was sitting on the edge of the bed facing the fire place. The flames illuminated her smooth and perfect features in a way I hadn't seen before. The light of the flames was all we had in the cabin, and it was more than enough for our strong vision. I walked over to her, placing a hand over hers on the white down bed spread, feeling my draw to this woman morphing into lust as the seconds ticked by. She tilted her head slightly, away from the flames to where our vessel's hands meshed on the soft fabric, and she smiled at some passing errant thought. She lifted her face to mine, and I moved around her body so that I stood between her knees as she remained on the edge of the mattress.

"Castiel," she began. "Do you know how…_long_ I have waited for you to be by my side again? I spent nearly seven thousand years in that cage. But now I have found you, and I am never going away again." She intertwined our fingers, facing her palm into mine and not breaking my gaze as my blue eyes bored into her shining grey ones. I felt like a lost child seeing home for the first time in those seven thousand years. I hadn't even known what I was missing, and yet here I was finding it.

Eden's eyes grew soft as she kept her face tilted up to me, and I found myself leaning into her, wanting to feel the press of her lips against mine once again. I supposed that this was only natural seeing as we were once mates, inseparable by anything except the will of God, and even then at a great expense of pain. She had felt all of that pain, all of the longing and Heat, while I was a good little soldier for daddy. How had I never known? How had no one ever told me?

I took my left hand, my free hand, and laid it on the right side of her face, letting my fingers drift into her hairline. I had never felt such softness. Her skin was smoother than the finest satin, and her hair was softer still. As I leaned down to meet her lips, she let a hand travel up my stomach to my chest, lingering before hooking her fingers in the neck of my vessel's tie.

I felt a cry from the innermost part of my Essence, screaming at me to take this woman in front of me and make her mine again. I tried to stifle the feeling, but as my lips brushed hers in the tenderest of kisses, I felt myself needing more. Eden tilted back, releasing our entwined hands, taking herself down onto her back on the bed. My essence screamed at the loss of contact, and like a condemned man seeking asylum I followed her onto the bed, her hands guiding me to lay on top of her, resting my vessel's pelvis between her thighs, my arms lacing around her torso to hold every inch of her to my aching body.

I felt such great pleasure as her hands shaped around my face, fingers threading through my hair, deepening the kiss and clutching me to her. It was not enough. She couldn't hold me tight enough even though I knew she would be leaving bruises behind. No matter, my vessel would heal before ten minutes were up.

With a hand on my shoulder, she pushed me and rolled us so that she was on top. She had already kicked off her vessel's jeans, and now she remained in her lace panties and a thin t-shirt. I hooked my fingers in the latter, tugging it over her head as she sat back, letting my eyes trail up her beautiful body.

The more I saw of her, the more I remembered. I recalled her making the choice to take a form, hunting down this vessel and asking for her permission to take over the body. The Atlantean girl was probably still in there, just as Jimmy was still trapped inside of me.

As I felt her approving and watchful eyes follow mine, I ran my hands from her knees where they were crooked on either side on my hips, up to her hourglass hips and trim waist, and on up further to her firm breasts and neck. I became aware that I was still fully clothed only when I felt the growth of my desire pressing against the zipper of my vessel's trousers. I kicked off my shoes and wriggled so that Eden sat higher on my stomach, undoing the front of my pants and struggling to sit up to remove the under shirt that I had managed to get on before she showed up at the motel. With a swift and lithe move, Eden twisted and tugged the pants down my legs, taking with them the boxer briefs and socks. I sat up, ready to grab her at first chance and pin her to me, but she was swifter than I, thrusting my back against the headboard so that I was in a sitting position.

I watched her with a predator's eye as she crawled over my lap and sat herself just shy of my vessel's throbbing erection. It bounced at her proximity, filling further with blood, and I admit I was less than thrilled to have her eager wetness so close to me and yet just out of reach. I was reminded silently that this was less than a millionth the hunger that she had felt over her isolation, so I kept quiet.

Eden curled her fingers into the hem of my undershirt, pulling it clean off of me instead of taking it over my head, so that it tore into shreds. I growled deep in my chest at the rising tide of lust building inside of me. Eden brought her lips back to mine, devouring the taste of my lips. Every time her tiny pink tongue sought its way into my mouth I felt a distant throbbing, wanting to be thrusting elsewhere too. My hands developed a life of their own, tracing up the curve of her spine to where the clasp of her bra was. I unhooked it easily, wondering why human men seemed to always have trouble with this task. I cast the lacy thing to the floor, cupping her breasts in my hands and squeezing firmly but gently. Eden responded, releasing my bottom lip from between her teeth and arching her back with a soft moan. I was fascinated. Her hair fell back as she writhed, brushing the tops of my thighs and making me hungry anew. I surged forward, taking her body back underneath me on the bed, pressing her slight form into the mattress. I hooked a finger into the crotch of her panties, slid them down her legs and tossed them onto the floor next to her other clothing.

Angels often have battles for dominance, and this was no exception. Within seconds of us becoming completely nude, I was thrown back onto my back and Eden was trailing kisses down my chest and stomach, biting and burning a path of desire into my flesh. As she moved lower, my cock became more anticipatory, becoming more engorged with each nip and lick of her sweet mouth on my skin.

Without warning, she took my cock into her hand and swiped her thumb across the head, taking the bead of pre cum and smearing it around the sensitive tip. "Ah," I moaned in desperation, my fists clenching the sheets on either side of my hips. Eden smiled wickedly, and ducked her head, her little tongue darting out to lick my cock in swirling motions. My back arched and I moaned aloud, my blood headed south at an accelerating rate. After a minute or so of her teasing licks and swallowing my cock whole, I could take no more. I didn't come this far into foreplay to _not_ lose my virginity. Especially to my own mate! I hooked my hands under her arms and brought her up to my face, kissing her deeply as I rolled us gently again so that I was on top and her calves were resting on my lower back. Still kissing her, I slowly positioned the head of my cock at her entrance, asking her if she was ready, not sure if I was ready for this myself. I felt a terrible amount of stage fright come over me, and my breath came short, eyes wild as I looked into her lust blown pupils. Her breath hitched, and she pulled my face to hers, pulling my hips forward with her calves and lining up the head of my cock with her wet heat.

I couldn't help but release her mouth as I sank deep within her, feeling the stretch of her heat around my vessel's abundant girth and length. Eden's eyes widened and her back arched, pushing her breasts into my chest as I sank in, her cry loud and long, desperate for more. Her legs clung to my waist, and I burrowed my right arm under her back, threading my fingers in her hair and pulling her head back as I began to move, keeping her throat exposed to me. It was a minor submission, like her being on the bottom, but it was necessary to us. Her hands traced up to my shoulders as I withdrew and thrust back in to her tightness, letting a groan escape my lips. I set them to her throat, kissing and nipping it roughly.

As we rocked back and forth, I became aware that her eyes were piercing, like we do when we are releasing our Grace for a power play. I was confused until I felt my eyes doing the same. What was this? I wasn't trying to show off like I had to Crowley…. I felt my wings stretch out against my back, rising up to arch over us both. Eden's eyes snapped to them, and I felt a surge of dominance come over me. My hand in her hair pulled her head back a bit farther, straining her neck so that I could see her very breath coming short and quick. She was close to coming. I began the thrust harder and deeper, taking us both higher.

"Castiel, keep it in check!" she rasped out as I pounded home, hitting her G-spot (father's best invention aside from, of course, Eden herself) over and over again. Eden's back arched and her nails raked my skin between my wing shafts, making me growl deep in my chest at the harsh contact on the tender flesh. Our breath came short and our movements more frantic as I realized a second too late what she meant!

Her orgasm set off mine, her pussy milking me dry as we both cried out. We clung to each other as we rode out the waves of ecstasy, our Graces mingling and making the pure pleasure last even longer. I became aware that my light had shone through too brightly in the end, and actually burned much of the bedding. I thrust once more, deep and demanding, leaning over to bite Eden hard where her collar bone meets the base of her throat, a tender spot. She whimpered and curled into me, admitting my dominance at least in the bedroom. I remained inside of her and simply laid on her chest, my head resting to the side of hers, still kissing up and down her tender flesh.

At her muffled giggle I opened my eyes and followed her gaze to the ceiling, where the distinct outline of my wings was burnt into the wood panels.

"I told you to keep it in check," she teased, twisting her head to match my lips to hers in a deep kiss. I pressed her to me, and her leg draped over my hip invitingly.

I suppressed a growl into her mouth as I felt myself harden anew. We were not human, how could we ever decide to stop if we never got tired or lost stamina?

Oh yes… the tablet situation. I sighed through my nose, not willing to break contact from my mate just yet.

**please R/R! let me know what u want next, i have the final scene planned out but im not sure how they're going to get there quite yet!**


	6. chapter 5: tracking

**Kripke owns all characters (except Eden). all mistakes are my own**

**story is getting more intense guys, this is a kinda long one!**

Chapter 5: tracking

Eden's POV

We returned from our amorous adventure in Alaska in the dead of night. The Winchester brothers were asleep in their respective beds, and after Castiel retrieved his trench coat from the bathroom he returned to me where I sat on the couch. Dean shifted on his bed, not quite waking up but stirring from the rustling of Castiel's wings as we arrived. Sam cracked an eye, lifting his head to glance and wave sleepily at us and crashed onto his pillow again.

I smiled and turned toward the blackened TV, nestling into Castiel's chest. He lay so that his head was against the arm of the sofa, and his back faced outward, pinning me between his body and the back of the couch. Thankfully he had left his outer clothing on the floor, and lay pressed against me in only an under shirt and his black boxer briefs. Between his heat and the pressure of his body, felt myself wishing that we had not left the little cabin so early. But then again, unless Castiel figured out how to reign in his Grace during an orgasm, that cabin wasn't going to remain standing for another trip. I shook my head gently in the dark.

"What is it my love?" Castiel whispered to me in my head, choosing to remain silent for the sake of our sleeping wards ten feet away. I smiled, closing my eyes.

"I find myself wanting you again. This is hardly bearable!" I feigned dramatically, a soft smile playing on my lips.

Castiel did not catch the sarcasm, pressing his lips into mine and emitting a small groan of approval. I tucked an arm under his head, pulling him toward me until he lay on top. I relished in the feel of his body weight pressing into me while we kissed deeply, tongues sliding and fighting against each other. I felt the growth of his arousal rubbing against my thigh. I smiled into his mouth as I thought of making his temptation worse. I was nothing if not a tease.

Trailing my hand down his back, I fought with his shirt until I was under it, tracing absent circles against the skin of his back. I couldn't help myself as I aimed lower, burrowing my fingers under the waistband of his boxer briefs and traced gently fingers over his beautiful firm ass. Cas growled, grinding against my thigh harder and recapturing my bottom lip in his teeth. I took the hint and slid my other hand down, gripping and squeezing a cheek in each hand. Every time he worked his erection against me his ass tightened, making me hotter and wetter. My breath came short as I tried to reign in the lust. The Winchesters wouldn't survive one of Castiel's burning orgasms, the cabin barely did! I struggled to roll us so that I sat on top, straddling Cas's waist. As he looked up at me and smirked, I realized that he had mojo'd away my top! I rolled my eyes down at him and growled, throwing a glance over the back of the couch to the snoring brothers. I looked back to Castiel who was busy pouting at me.

We never should have left that damn cabin.

I stretched out my Grace, making a sort of loose force field around us. If the boys woke up they would just see an empty couch rather than two naked and writhing angels sweating in their hotel room.

Sitting back on my heels, I tugged the waistband of Castiel's boxer briefs down his legs and flicked a hand, sending his shirt floating to the floor. Cas threw his arms under his head, stretching out on the couch as I nestled between his thighs. It was experiment time.

My mouth descended onto his throbbing cock, swiping away the bead of pre-cum with a swift lick, and Castiel clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the groans he emitted. I swallowed down the thick member, coating it in saliva to make the glide easier. Cas widened his thighs a bit, bending a knee to press his left leg into the back of the couch. I pulled off of his cock, making a loud pop as I drew off. To catch my breath, I worked the shaft for a minute, waiting until Cas glanced down at me to lick my first finger, coating it on saliva to make it slick.

"What are you- hey!" he cried as I painted his rear hole with the spit on the tip of my finger, not giving him the chance to wriggle away as I delved in, brushing his prostate with my finger, stimulating gently. Cas froze, the sensation stilling him as he moved to pull my hand away.

"You better keep quiet Castiel," I whispered in his mind. "Don't want those boys waking up just yet, do we? Tell you what, the loudest person tonight gets punished, severely." At the gravel in my voice he relented, snapping his jaw shut and leaning back onto the couch. I worked my finger against his prostate, descending my mouth back over his throbbing cock as it pulsed in my hand.

Cas threw a hand back over his mouth, barely containing the moans. He looked over the edge of the couch, snatching a pillow to hide his face in. I smiled against his erection, keeping him just shy of the release he sought. My hand gripped the base of his cock a bit tighter, holding in the blood flow. He became more desperate, writhing against my lower hand, trying to grind my finger against his prostate further. I'd created a monster! I released my hold on his cock, releasing the blood and as it rushed to and from the tender head of his engorged cock, he cried out, clamping one hand on the top of my head, tangling in my hair. I slipped my second finger into him, pressing and teasing his prostate until he was drained dry, swallowing it all.

Light had crept against the windows, the sun rising slowly. I mojo'd Castiel's clothes back on, getting up and heading into the bathroom without looking back at him, but listening to his shaky breaths.

In the bathroom I washed my mouth out, washing my face with one of the wrapped bars of soap which sat on the counter. When I returned, Cas had sat up, back against the arm of the couch and legs still stretched across it. He opened his arms to me, looking sheepish. I fell into them onto the couch. To disguise our previous actions, Cas flips on the TV as Dean rolls over in bed, groaning at the brightness and the hour. Cas looked back at the brothers as they woke groggily. Sam stood and stumbled toward the bathroom, still half asleep. Dean looked over at us and furrowed his brow, waving a hand in our direction and scampering into the bathroom ahead of Sam who huffed and yelled that he was going to pee on Dean's bed.

Cas leaned his head slightly down, brushing his lips over my hair before turning back to the flashing TV screen.

When the Winchester brothers were cleaned and dressed, we all piled into the Impala to get some breakfast a few miles away from the motel. As we sat in a booth, Castiel and I across from Dean and Sam, respectively, Cas and I looked at each other.

"Do you want to eat?" he asked. I felt the brothers' eyes on us, waiting for my answer. We didn't require food, our vessels were beyond the need of sustaining, but sometimes it was grounding. He wanted to, so I complied, staring at the plastic coated menu in silence. The waitress sidled over, earning an endearing look from Dean, the womanizer. Sam rolled his eyes.

"What can I get for y'all this mornin'" she asked, taking out her pad and pen. Dean and Sam ordered some eggs, sausage, pancakes, etc. Cas got eggs and bacon with hash browns, leaving it up to me. My vessel urged me, a rare occurrence unless we are giving them what they want, like sex, food, and sleep. I ordered cheesy eggs, a waffle, and smothered n' covered hash browns with orange juice and coffee. Feeling satisfied with myself and my vessel who nestled back into her crevice inside of the body.

"Alright, time for brass tax. Where is Crowley and the other half of the tablet?" Dean asked, leaning across the table. Sam snapped his eyes to me, and Cas watched them before turning to me as well. I sighed.

"He keeps moving it. Crowley isn't stupid, guys. He knows that something else is down here on earth now, and he is trying harder than usual to stay under wraps. Currently he is in…" I trailed off, looking across the planes and dimensions, down into hell and up into heaven to be certain. I ignored Cas's intake of breath as he imposed, looking into my mind while I searched. He didn't have access to this level of Watching. "Tennessee." I finished. "More specifically, the south corner. Chattanooga or some such." Dean nodded to me as the waitress brought our food, snapping me out of the reverie. Cas blinked hard, adjusting his eyes back to the present scene.

"We will head out after we eat and I call Kevin. He didn't answer me last night. Any chance you can peek in?" he asked, waving his fork at me. I tilted my head to the side, glancing back into the dimensions, focusing for Kevin Tran and his mother.

"They are fine Dean, about three hours from here holed up in an abandoned bar." I tasted the food on my plate, looking at Cas out of the corner of my eye as he ate casually. He was becoming so human being around these two for so long. I smiled to myself and ate, preparing for the road to Crowley. What I saw of the future pointed me toward my ultimate mission.

As we made our way straight down I-75 to southern Tennessee, I felt a pull on my being. Someone was calling me. My brow furrowed and Cas turned slightly to place his fingers on the crease between my eyebrows. He looked concerned.

I forgot that mates can sense a calling as well, and he didn't know this being. It wasn't anyone he'd met before. Not personally anyway.

"Boys, I'll return in a bit." I blinked out of the backseat of the car before Cas could get a hold on me, I didn't need him coming to this meeting. I was concerned enough for my own life, and didn't need his distraction in my ear. But I told him silently to keep them on this highway and that I'd meet them before they got to the destination.

As I turned into the other realm, I felt his pulling deep in my belly. Mostly his concern. He fidgeted in the car, searching for me with his immortal eyes and not seeing. I felt a need to go back for him, feeling the loss of his presence mingling with my Essence already, but there was no way he would survive if he pissed off these creatures, even by merely attempting to protect me.

Castiel remained a constant tug at my conscience as I made my way to a safe destination. As I pulled out of the dimensional field into a small restaurant in Savannah, Georgia I realized who was calling and why I must meet him in secret. I was the only person in earth who could freeze time and block prying eyes or ears at the same time.

Death sat at a table in the center of the dining room; a few live humans ate their supper in silence. I sat across from the thin man when he gestured to the seat across from him. Everyone in the room froze mid-bite as I stilled time for a moment, not wanting anyone to have the chance to hear. Even the angels in heaven were blocked from this conversation. I widened my eyes, not in fear but surprise that he had called me here so suddenly and without apparent intention.

"Eden," he began, using my informal name that I had adopted. He smiled thinly and pushed half of a boiled crab toward me, intending for me to eat it. I did to please him, cracking the legs open and pulling out the tender meat, waiting for him to go on. I had no clue why I was here, other than the power I held which may be of use to him.

"I want to join you. Not because I am afraid of being against you, mind. But because the time has come, finally." He didn't elaborate, only picking up another crab leg and breaking it open with his long, bony fingers.

"The time for what, Death?" I alone addressed him familiar without his consent. We held roughly the same level of tenacity when angered, and both of us could kill my Father if we really wanted to. My eyes narrowed, catching his drift and then flying open again. "You mean-" he tilted his head toward me, almost smiling.

"My dear, we have seen this coming for a long time. You know what to do; you have already seen this ending. You have seen it many times, when you were in that box. And you know that this is why you are out walking right now, why you found your mate and took him so quickly from his friends. Let it happen, and call me when it does. I will be on your side." With that he stood, taking my hand off of the table, my other hand clenched tight around the napkin. I stood next to him as he wrapped both of his frozen hands around my one, kissing the fingers lightly, and he turned to walk out the door. "Metatron will not take kindly to your refusal, not when he has waited so long to spring you from that trap," he called over his shoulder. I remained facing the table, jaw clenched, not needing to look at his retreating form to see the smirk on his usually emotionless face. "Oh, but _do_ take care of those boys for me, I rather fancy seeing them make it to the ending." And his black form was gone. I looked down at my hand which he had held, and the withered, charred flesh returned to normal health in front of my eyes. It was a silent warning to not stand in the way. I looked at the helpless humans around me, whose I had come here to help save under the pretense of shoving my goodness under God's nose, and here I was, the most powerful creature alive aside from Death and God, helpless to save even a soul.

I closed my fist, sliding back into the black leather back seat of the Impala with Castiel.

**pleeeeeeaase R/R tell me what you want!/ constructive criticism and the like!**

**xoxoxoxo**


	7. Chapter 6: at the foot of the King

**kripke owns all recognizable characters, and all mistakes are my own.**

**let me know what you guys think. school is wearing my patience thin!**

**this chapter is rated a hard M for sexy sex**

Chapter 6: at the foot of the King

Castiel's POV

When Eden zapped out of the car I tried everything I could to follow her. I was not only displeased with the sudden emptiness, but I was worried like I had never been before. I was always worried for the Winchesters, sure. But this was different. It was more intense and almost painful. No matter how hard I tried to search for her, she rebuffed me, until I felt her disappear from sight completely. I noticed the car freeze, and all the other cars on the road freeze, nothing happening at all. I couldn't move either, but I was conscious of the time standing still, whereas no one else was. Everything was still, and I knew it was her. She froze time all over the world.

Who could do that but her? No one. Someone dangerous wanted her, and she didn't want to be heard or seen with them.

What the _hell_ was this?

Within seconds, time went back to normal. It didn't go any faster, and I seemed to be the only one aware of the change. Dean and Sam still argued in the front seat over some pithy thing. I ignored them until Dean glanced into the rear-view mirror at my face. I made the effort to blank it before he noticed any strain in my eyes. If he did, he didn't say anything.

In the span of a breath Eden slid back into the seat beside me, and I stormed her mind with silent questions. She simply took my hand and replied in my mind, "Not now love."

I must admit that my jaw clenched. I grew angry as the miles flew under us and she remained silent as ever beside me. not even the brothers asked questions after seeing the look on her face. We passed several small towns, going up one mountain and down another, finally ending in a large suburb called Cleveland where we bedded for the night.

I felt Dean's gaze as he went to check into the motel, wondering if we wanted one room or two. He decided on two to be safe. The girl handed him our keys and we shuffled down the sidewalk to our side-by-side doors. I took the key for mine and Eden's room, unlocking it and standing back for her to walk in. We had no bags, but I had carried one of the brothers' bags in. I took it to dean at his door where he waited for me, looking expectant.

"Keep your mouth shut for now." I warned. She wouldn't release anything to me if she heard them gossiping next door. "I will tell you what I find out, you know that." He clenched his jaw, the muscle on the side flexing dangerously. After a curt nod he stepped into his room with Sam and slammed the door, leaving me to walk back into my room with a very silent mate.

I sighed heavily as I stepped through the door, shutting it softly and sliding the chain lock into place. It was unnecessary- who the heck is going to come through the door that we should be afraid of? I pulled off my trench coat and turned to see Eden sitting on the edge of the bed, head in her hands.

"Castiel," she began. I did not like the tone in her voice, it was almost…scared. I waited. "I was called by Death. He masked himself from you in his calling because he wanted me alone."

"Why? What on earth does he want?" I asked, stepping closer to her from my asylum in the corner of the room. I sat on the floor in front of her, attempting to take her hand in mine. She hesitated, making me nervous.

"I can't tell you because of what Heaven is doing to you now." My brow furrowed. She traced the wrinkles absently with a cold finger. "They are forcing you to tell them everything you hear and see down here, particularly if it involves the Winchester brothers. I can't belay this information to you because heaven cannot know, and they will kill you to get it out if you try to resist. They have done it before."

I balked. I didn't know any of this! Why couldn't I-

"You don't remember because every time they call you up there they make you spill your guts without hesitation, and then they blank your memory. Let me guess, the name Naomi ring any bells?" she looked into my eyes, waiting. I nodded silently. My jaw clenched. She sighed and sat back. "She is a figment of your imagination. They are always named Naomi and always are interrogators. For the male angels anyway. They all look different and they all get what God wants from you without even seeming to try."

I looked down at my hands, wondering if there was any way out of this. Eden raised her hand, cupping my face and raising it back to hers. She brushed her lips against mine sweetly, a gesture of love rather than desire.

"I'm working on that, darling," she whispered in my mind. She said it in Atlantean, her vessel's language, and it stilled me. The language of those fallen humans was so close to Enochian, the language of angels. It was why we fell in love with her vessel in the first place, why she has fought so hard to preserve it for all these years. All for me, to make sure I would still find her attractive after she escaped. As if I could resist my true mate in any skin.

I remembered what she had done to me on the couch if front of the brothers the day before, and a deep hunger raged in my belly. It was unrequited lust, and I had never gotten the chance to pay her back for that, but tonight I would be sure to. It was my night for dominance, and I would take it.

I silently prayed that Dean and Sam were not still pressing their ears to the wall trying to listen to our conversation, because they were about to hear an earful of something they wouldn't want to hear.

Luckily, Eden was in the mood to play submissive, because both of us knew I'd be on my ass with her fingers back in it if she wasn't. she breathed a sigh of relief into my mouth as I kissed her roughly, taking her clothes off piece by piece and trailing kisses down her spine as I turned her to take the lace bralet off.

Lord but this woman loves to tease me with lace under-things. I loosened my tie to take off my own clothes, but she didn't want to waste time on that, flicking them all off with a wave of her fingers. I caught her wrist mid-air and pressed each finger to my lips, tasting the very tips of them and biting the heel of her palm gently before releasing her again and trailing down her immaculate body.

She disliked my pace, but attempted to maintain her resolution to be the sub tonight, and to keep her down I produced a pair of handcuffs I had snuck out of dean's duffel bag as I carried it. I touched the metal, burning Enochian symbols into them so they would be a bit harder to break. Eden bit into her puffy bottom lip and flicked her gaze up to mine as I sat between her thighs, one around each of my own. I leaned down and pressed my body into hers, letting her feel my weight like she loved. Her body arched up slightly into mine, avoiding my kiss and pressing her breasts up into my chest, distracting me for a moment. I kissed the peak of each one in turn, and continued up to her face, claiming her mouth in a deep kiss that left both of us panting for breath. When I released her, her hands were caught in the cuffs and around a bar in the headboard.

"Ooh, kinky Castiel," she breathed, arching up again and inviting me to slide my arms under her back.

I moved my knees up to kneel over her, removing my weight, and she whimpered at the loss of heat. Keeping my arms under her, I arched her body so that her neck and ass met the bed but her back was drawn like a bow up to me. Holding her like this I descended on her breasts, capturing the tender hard peaks in my mouth, making them soft and hot with my tongue, and releasing them with a pop. I blew cold air over each after this, making them harden anew and making her gasp at the chill.

Her hands clenched in the cuffs, and I knew she was straining to not break them, but I was having fun at this pace, exploring her body fully for once. After all, I let her do that last night. She relaxed her hands, hearing the thought and staving her hunger for the moment. I grinned against her skin and continued my path downwards.

When I reached her wet heat she was positively dripping for me. Excited to taste her sweetness again, I did like last time, one long slow lick from her backside to that little nub of nerves at the top. She stilled and whimpered as I drew away, trying to play nice. I barely suppressed a chuckle and descended on her tender swollen flesh, making her cry out and writhe insatiably.

I briefly wondered if her backside was as sensitive as mine, knowing that women had no prostate. As she knocked my head to the side with a playful shove of her thigh, I shifted, trapping it under my arm, spread as wide as she could. To prevent further squirming I did the same to the other. She whimpered and lay still, goading me to come back to her flesh.

Out of curiosity, I surprised her by turning her over onto her stomach. Guiding a pillow under her waist, I propped her up. She remained tethered to the headboard, her wrists twisted from the new position. I nudged her thighs apart gently, settling between her legs on my stomach. I licked my fingers, making sure they were warm so as to not startle her, and eased one into her tight heat, making her gasp in surprise. I had stilled my thoughts, so she couldn't anticipate anything I did. But I felt her liking it, bowing her back to push against my hand a little. She was so wet, I slipped in another and she began to try to grind against me in earnest, needing the friction more than anything. I added a third element, pressing my mouth to her rear hole and giving it a firm lick. She tensed up, but sank into the action

"Ah, more Castiel!" she whispered.

"Speak in _your_ language," I growled back at her, and she complied, gasping and seeking further pleasure in Atlantean to me. it made me harder for her, hearing the beautiful language gasping out of her perfectly formed lips. I buried my face between her round cheeks, moving my fingers inside of her in earnest, scissoring and rubbing against that rough patch called the g-spot. My knuckles hit her sensitive and engorged nub with every stroke, and I felt her tighten, clamping on my fingers tightly. As I worked my tongue into the tight ring of muscles, loosening them up a bit, I felt her tumble over the edge of her climax, milking my fingers as they moved inside of her. She screamed out my name into a pillow, trying to be quiet for out next-door audience of two. They would hear anyway. I removed my fingers, crawling up over her body with menacing grace until my pelvis was pressed into her ass, my heavy and engorged cock resting on the crevice between the two rounded cheeks. Her breath caught as we sized up the difference, wondering how much it would hurt. Her eyes widened as I made the decision for her, and her hands fisted in the cuffs again, chiding herself to not break them.

"Oh no, _elohim,_"I whispered against the baby-soft skin of her back, using the endearing Hebrew pet name for the first time since she had been taken from me. I ran my hand up her back to her neck and then hair, curling my fingers into it and pulling her head so that she could look at me. "Tonight is my turn, you had yours." I looked down at the side of her face, the other half pressed into the pillow. The dare flashed in her eyes and I smiled wickedly. "Good girl," I whispered, pressing a kiss to her absent wing bone shafts, still a tender area despite their loss. She shuddered and turned her face into the pillow as I adjusted and delved myself deep into her wet heat, surprising her. We had no lube other than the excess waterproofing oil on my wings, and it wouldn't be enough to gently ease my think member into her virginal rear entrance without enormous amounts of pain.

I found that this position, doggy style I think it was called, was much tighter, but simultaneously wetter. There was next to no friction, and even though I pounded deep with every thrust, it wasn't enough. We both craved the contact of the other position.

"Just do it, you'll be slicked up enough now," she whispered to me, turning her head. I cocked an eyebrow at her. She had spoken in English. She all but growled at me, steel eyes flashing and I tried not to laugh as I stayed inside of her pussy, wetting my fingers with wing oil as much as I could, and pressing them into her back entrance.

Her face buried back into the pillow as the dual sensation filled her to the max, my thick cock warring with the two fingers deep in her ass, only a thin membrane of flesh separating them. As I moved against her, thrusting and scissoring my fingers, my other hand left her hip to grip her left cheek, lifting and releasing it, spanking it hard and leaving a red hand print which I later could match my hand to. She cried out, coming back to that desperate peak again and writhing against her bonds in earnest, cutting her wrist slightly. I felt myself giving in to the orgasm, stilling my fingers inside of her and coming hard and fast, thrusting home with everything I had. She came, screaming into the pillow, and I felt the same sensation I had in the cabin. My Light was getting too strong, and before I burned down the hotel I blinked hard, shutting out the glow to my eyes and slamming my wings back down flat to my back. My breath came hard and fast as I continued to mindlessly work against her, reminding her that I was in charge during this. She turned swiftly, snapping the handcuffs in half and shoving me down hard in to the mattress. I was caught off guard, stilling as I decided whether I lay there or bat her off. She grinned down at me, kissing the tip of my nose gently, and lifted off, scampering into the bathroom to clean up.

My breath came back to me as I lay on the bed, picking up the broken handcuffs and trying to mend them so I could return them to Dean unnoticed. I was happy that he had elected to not go find a girl tonight.

As I sat on the bed, back to the wall, Eden lying across my chest pressing an ear to my heart, I felt the indescribable tug from Naomi calling me to heaven. I couldn't resist, they had me trapped.

My consciousness landed in the square office, facing Naomi with her hands folded on the desk.

"I see your little mate found you again," she said, leaning back in the chair. I shifted uncomfortably. I fought to not tell her anything, but I never won this battle. "Tell me about the Winchesters." She said, taking out a pad and pen, scribbling on it absently.

My face twitched as I attempted to clench my jaw shut. She smiled, still facing the pad on her desk.

"We are on the road to find Crowley and the other half of the tablet. Eden thinks that it is in Chattanooga. We are closing in now." I cringed into myself, not able to restrict the flow of information and feeling weak for it.

"Do not be so troubled, Castiel. No harm will come to your charges or mate; we are just keeping an eye on them. Since you branded them several years ago we cannot Watch them like normal humans. See it as your…repayment for such as dire act."

In a blink I was back in my body. Eden had still beside me, noticing the calling. I blinked hard and swallowed, my jaw clenching. I knew that this was the exact reason that Eden wouldn't tell me anything, and I was ashamed.

The next morning as we extracted our bodies from the bed, pulling on our clothes and cleaning up, Eden stopped in front of me, holding out her hand in silence. I faintly tried to read her mind, but she blocked me. my brow furrowed but I took my mate's hand regardless.

Nothing happened for a moment, and I thought that maybe she just wanted to hold my hand. Then a sharp pain flashed across my temples. I jerked my hand away to cover each side of my head, trying to read the source of the pain. It was her!

"Eden, wha- what are you doing?" I gasped, almost dropping to my knees. Her eyes narrowed, and the pain got worse, like a searing brand on the inside of my skull. It stopped suddenly and she smiled, leaning down to kiss me.

"Fixed your little "heaven problem" for now. Until they figure out something else to do." She turned and sashayed still naked into the bathroom. I blinked hard, huffing and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What did you do?" I asked, afraid momentarily that she had taken my Grace to hide me. That is the only sure- fire way to get them out of your head. Which, by the way, still throbbed.

She called from the bathroom, "I branded your skull. Like how you did the Winchesters' ribs? Don't worry darling, you are still every bit the angel I found last week." She came out of the bathroom in a pair of tight jeans and a soft pale blue shirt, those weird flat skating shoes donning her feet, and her brown hair tousled. My mouth watered and I loosened my tie. Eden smirked and avoided my grasp as she walked past.

"no no Castiel, we need to go see the babies," she teased, walking out the door and leaving me.

**please help me out, i need reviews! feeeeeed meeeee!**

xoxoxox


	8. Chapter 7: strategic career move

**kripke owns all recognizable characters, all mistakes are my own.**

**alright guys, here we go. this is the last real chapter. i'm going to add a little epilogue to straighten some finer details out, but after that we are done here. i hope you have loved it, and for those of you who stayed true, thanks so much! xoxoxo**

**-sapphirael**

**this chapter contains gore so if you have a wild imagination and a weak stomach, beware! **

Chapter 7: strategic career move

Eden's POV

"Okay, so the plan is… wing it?" Sam asked, bewildered. "How the hell is that a plan?"

Castiel stood, taking a sidelong step in front of me and facing the affronted brothers.

"No offense, but we have to do this… quietly. If Crowley gets a hold of one of you, or even me, and can see _her_ coming, it's all over. There is no going back again. He will literally do anything he can to get away, and that means killing anything in his path, regardless of its future value."

"I'd venture to say that he'd even kill Kevin to avoid me. He will be_ that_ desperate." I concluded. Dean sat in silence, trying to operate his own plan around mine. I became impatient. "if you don't like it I can easily take you out of the equation and we can do it ourselves. Castiel has followed your word with less direction and been happy to do so. Do NOT try me, Winchester." I said flatly as he attempted to protest. "Cas may give you the benefit of an unchecked mind, but I do not." His jaw clenched and he glared at me, only to get one back in return. "Crowley will be at the rail station in McDonald, between Cleveland and Ooltewah. We need to head south on this highway and take back roads to get to it. The tablet is not going to be with him, but once he sees me and we have him caught, I can make him retrieve it without leaving the room. It's called removing free will." I responded to their incredulous looks. I wasn't surprised; only myself, God, and Death were strong enough to make flying monkeys out of anyone we pleased. God didn't do it out of principle, and Death didn't notice the living enough to care.

Once the thought passed my mind, I felt that internal pull. He was calling me again. I sighed and cast a glance to my mate, who furrowed his brow but shrugged. I zapped out of the room to the tune of "what the fu-" coming out of Dean's mouth.

Death sat at a table, no food for once. He had summoned me to a dilapidated barn on the outskirts of some city. I caught the smell of something familiar, and noticed Castiel's scent. This was the barn in which Dean and Bobby had first come into physical contact with him. Why would he summon me here?

"Death, darling. What is the matter?" I asked, coming up to face him. I heard a slight shuffle to my left, and God came out of the shadows in his vessel, the tiny prophet Chuck. Needless to say, my eyes widened. He had never come to me in this form.

"Eden, we must stop this." He sighed, scrubbing a hand through Chuck's beard. "I know what you mean to do, and although I am pleased with the progress, it is not my plan for this earth."

I scoffed. I was not afraid of him. "_Your plan?"_ I asked derisively. "Well, sorry daddy-o but there is no way in hell I'm concerned with your plan. You will die, and the world will move on. You haven't cared for the earth in centuries, why would you care now?" I looked to Death, who merely sat and watched. "Are you on his side now?"

"Eden, my dear, this is not about sides. He has agreed to die, he knows that it is his time to go on." The statement surprised me.

"So what do you mean for me to do?" I turned back to Chuck. He shifted his feet. I really looked at him. The white suit was gone, he was back in worn jeans and a ragged old t-shirt, converse shoes, and his beard was overgrown.

He truly looked like he was nearing the end.

"I mean for you to go along with your plan, but be prepared for what I throw in the mix. I told you, I have known for a long time how this would end. It's not just 'my time'…. It is time for everyone to be finished with this war." My brow furrowed in frustration; he felt it. he was taking a step forward and holding out his hand; Chuck meant for me to take it.

"The last time I touched you I got three major cities worth of souls jammed down my throat, so forgive me if I'm a bit antisocial, pop." I backed up a step. With a small smile, he stopped advancing.

"I'm sorry, Eden. But I have one more for you. I believe you know him as… Metatron? You need to take him in to make even your plan work, let alone mine." I balked.

"Me-Metatron? Why? I thought he was dead! We all did!"

"Oh, no my child. He was in hiding. I actually just killed him a minute ago for his trouble. You see, after distributing the tablets around the world, he took to a marked vessel and branded it so that he couldn't be tracked. Cut off the link to heaven, basically Fell so that he could get out. But no one gets away from me forever. Know that." With the final threat, Chuck advanced upon me. I held my ground, Death watching the whole thing from his seat at the table. God extended his hand to me, and a faintly glowing ball of essence floated in his palm. I stared at it for a few minutes, deciding. Could I even hold much more power? My vessel would surely disintegrate. I had had her for so long, I didn't want to lose her. It was petty, I know, but I had my reasons.

"Your vessel will survive, Eden. I know it doesn't seem like it, but think of how Chuck here can handle _me._ she was designed for you… I know." He winked at me, tapping his temple. "Atlantis was my testing site, remember?" Some part of me broke, wanting to believe him, _trust him_, despite what I felt. I took the soul and swallowed it down, feeling the essence pour into my limbs, into the very capillaries under the skin.

My eyes flashed with a deep gold light and wings of flame, the Light of God, Metatron's own, flared up behind me, taking over my own softly color-pointed golden feathers. I shut down the Grace, my eyes fading back to flat grey and my wings folding into place, the fire doused.

"We will meet you at the site of Crowley's demise. Be swift, he will catch your scent faster now that you are stronger." Death said faintly from the table seat. He was gone in a blink, and I looked back to empty space where Chuck had just stood. I felt the condemning sense that I had been betrayed by Death, but what could I do now but try to play along? God's "plan" was only a minor speed bump. I went back to the boys, who stood in the motel waiting for me.

As soon as I landed, Castiel felt something different. He frowned at me but kept silent; a trait I sent a silent prayer for. The last thing I needed was more attention on me right now. A brief explanation to the Winchesters (I told them I was scouting ahead, and Cas backed me up) we piled into the Impala and pointed our tires south.

Just half an hour later we arrived about a mile away from the rail station. Cas and I got out of the car, feeling around the area with our Grace for spies or traps. I sensed nothing…I could feel Crowley in the building, I could see the beat of his vessel's heart, but I couldn't sense anyone else. I felt like it was a trap, and cast the thought out to Castiel, who didn't answer. Curious, I looked around, and didn't see him anywhere, not even through our bond. "Dean!" I yelled, rushing back to the car. No answer came.

I immediately released my essence, feeling myself expand and power swirl around me. Wings unfurled, nearly fifteen foot long a piece, and I released the part of me that held back Metatron, coating my essence in holy fire. I still sensed nothing! How was I being blinded? Unless God played both sides, there was no possible way for Crowley to have this power.

I walked toward the building quietly, feeling out in all directions. Flames lit my path, licking out in coils ahead of my feet, never burning anything. I got within a hundred feet of the derelict building and heard a deafening scream. Castiel's cry of pain resounded in my very being through our bond, interrupting the flow of angelic prowess. As soon as it shut off, wings folded back in and eyes back to flat grey, I was attacked. An angel blade was thrust through my chest, taking away by ability to rally the forces within me.

The bag was pulled from my head, but the gag was left in place. I was on my knees, arms bound tight behind my back, as if that mattered. The most discomforting part was that my wings were stretched out fully behind me. They had been shot through with holes and each hole was laced through with a heavy metal ring. Each ring was linked to a thick chain rope that led to a pulley machine.

Basically, one flick of a switch beside Crowley and chunks of my wings would be ripped out, killing me by the time the last ring was pulled out.

I looked up and noticed an angel trap that had been surrounded by every angel's name that was inside of me, as well as the cities, all written in Enochian. No one had ever been able to trap me because no one, _no one_ knew the extent of what was held within my vessel. For the first time, I truly trembled in fear.

Looking across the dimly lit warehouse room, I saw Castiel doused in his own blood and chained to a metal chair that was bolted to the cement floor. Two angel blades were fastened through his shoulders into the chair backing. He was _not_ getting out of that chair alive. I could see the streams of his Grace leaking through the previously drilled holes, weakening him significantly. Even through that, his eyes were fastened to me, filled with concern. I nodded my head infinitesimally, letting him know that I was okay.

Dean and Sam were strung up similar to Castiel, sans the blades, against the wall to my right. They were conscious and kicking, Dean trying to wriggle out of the bonds like a wild man. A small horde of demons watched over all of us, and I had no way of knowing if Crowley was even still here.

A second later, we got our answer.

Crowley strode through the far door by Castiel, patting his shoulder hard before "accidentally" slipping his hand over the angel blade jutting out of my mate's left front shoulder. Cas emitted a barely contained scream and his eyes twisted shut, jaw clenching on the rag in his mouth.

"Ah-ah-ah," Crowley wagged a finger at me as I writhed in my bonds, unable to stop the protective wave that washed over me. His other hand held a switch on a thin wire that controlled the machine attached to my wings. Castiel regained his composure and yelled through the gag at me, shaking his head vehemently. By this time Sam and Dean were sitting still as well, watching the scene unfold.

"Now that you're setting pretty, I understand that you are trying to kill me off and take the other half of the tablet? Is this correct, Metaphor?" Crowley directed at me, using a derogative title. Metaphors are creatures that were essentially created unwhole. They were all hidden in purgatory when God re-created the earth in Noah's time. I managed to work out my gag and spat at him. He rolled his eyes and continued.

"Where's your backup? I thought you had Daddy and his fem- fatale on your side too? Or is just everyone betraying you now?" I looked up at the angel trap on the ceiling, desperate for a flaw in the makeup. There was none I could find. "_Answer me!"_ he screamed, pressing the button. Two rings were wrenched from my wings, taking with them eight inch-wide chunks of meat. I couldn't even cry out; I was in shock. In response to our bond, Castiel cried out, his own wings flexing uncomfortably. Silent tears streamed from my eyes and I ragged moan escaped my lips. It was indescribable, the pain. There is no human equivalent.

Several rounds went like this; Crowley would ask a question, not like my answer, and rip out another ring or two. He kept me on the fine line between passing out and gaining strength back. Castiel on the other hand…the only marker that he was even alive was the rise and fall of his vessel's chest.

Crowley followed my concerned gaze, and opted to switch up the game. He wrenched out one of the angel blades, waking Cas up with a cry of pain, thrashing against his bonds violently. An angel trap was drawn above him too, but it was drawn in haste, and I noticed an uncrossed sigil. Thankfully, I did not look at it directly, and Crowley didn't notice. Dean did though, catching my eye before Crowley started up his questioning again.

"Really Crowley, this is becoming vain. You are getting nowhere, while I am simply sitting still. You cannot kill me, despite what you may believe. These wings are not real, you know that. They are an extension of one of the _many_ angels within me. Who was your informant? Do you _really_ trust them?" I huffed out between breaths.

"Like I'd tell you, sweetheart. Now, where were we?" he thrust the blade back into Castiel, narrowly avoiding his heart. Another bout of pain wracked his frame as Dean slipped through his bonds. He crept up behind Crowley and stabbed him through the spine with Ruby's blade which he'd hidden in his boot. With a vicious snarl Crowley whipped around and threw the older Winchester a good fifteen feet across the room, landing hard on his back. Sam called out to him only to be struck across the temple hard enough to knock him out, but he managed to stay conscious.

My eyes trained on Castiel, still quivering from his last blow. _Castiel, focus all of your Grace onto me. I can save all of us in a heartbeat, but I need the strength to do so. Give me the power to get to Sam and touch his soul._ I spoke to him in his mind, focusing all of my remaining power into standing up from my position. Crowley realized what was happening a split second too late. I burned the ropes from my body with the holy fire of my wings as the flame licked up out of my skin and down the length of the tatters of feather and bone and bloody flesh. Castiel pumped his essence into mine through our bond, weakening by the pulse until his head fell forward onto his chest, unconscious.

For the first time, Crowley really looked frightened. He looked all around him as all but one of his lackeys fell, burnt out. I walked from my bonds, rings still in my wings but the chains broken at the first link. The wings were useless to me anyway; merely for show. With a very small portion of my mind I caught Crowley, pinning him to the spot like a thumb on an insect. He tried to vomit out the demon within, but I caught the vapor and shoved it back down his throat without further thought. When I reached Sam, he knew what I sought. I was a bloody mess, his brother was stirring across the room, Cas was half or more dead, and Sam was the only one mostly unscathed. He nodded gently, taking in a deep breath as I worked my hand into his chest, touching the soul ever so gingerly. After a fraction of a second, not even long enough for him to cry out, I had regained at least normal strength. I turned to Crowley, "Where is the tablet half, you filthy cretin?" I leaned down into his face, smearing my blood onto him which burned like holy water.

It looked for a moment like Crowley wouldn't answer, so I jammed my hand into his chest cavity, feeling the red vapor that I had forced back inside of him. He choked and spluttered in pain, finally coughing out, "Locker" and pressing a key into my empty hand.

I looked down on it, immediately knowing where it came from. "Dean, rise. Sam, be free. Come here." They both walked over to me and I handed them the key. "Go to the airport in Atlanta. This is an employee locker number 66. Very original," I sighed to Crowley, removing my bloodied hand and forearm from his torso. "go now before anything you won't survive happens. I will keep Crowley alive until we know that you have it. you have three hours." I turned my attention to my mate, crumpled in his chair not five feet away.

A blinding darkness crept into the room, and it was followed by Death.

"On the other hand boys, I think you will want to see this. I promise you that you _will survive._"

"Have a seat, will you, dear Winchesters?" he waved an absent hand to the seats where the brothers had been bound not half an hour before. They sat, warily eyeing me. I folded my wings as best I could, wincing from the sting. The rings jangled and weighed them down terribly. "My dear, you look awful. But you survived." He turned his gaze to Castiel's bloodied form. White light emitted from holes in his chest, and I yanked the two blades free, allowing him to slump forward onto the floor. A strangled cry came from him, proving that he was still fighting. I kneeled next to him and laid a hand on his chest, prepared to heal him when a flash of light startled all of us.

Chuck appeared in the center of the room, sidestepping a pool of my blood and moving to give me a hand up off the floor.

"CHUCK?" the Winchesters said together, incredulous as ever. He shot them a crinkly smile and held onto my hand, looking back at me expectantly.

"Metatron, you need to come forth now. Eden, allow this for a moment. He will come with me when we are done here." I nodded, my eyesight becoming consumed by a lick of flame as the golden irises of my oldest brother came over me. I felt myself walk along the length of the room, flexing my wings and shaking them, listening to the rattle. Crowley still lay crumpled on the floor. Chuck looked down on him pityingly, shaking him head. "I can never have a successful King of Hell, can i? you did a good job though, for a while there." He turned to me, where I had come back to stand next to Cas's prone body. "Metatron, take care of the vermin."

I felt myself nod and look at Crowley on the floor, burning him to ash with my sight alone. There was a reason Metatron had never had his own vessel, there was too much volatile power to contain. Plus the constantly being on fire thing had its drawbacks.

"go and fetch the remaining tablets, we do not need any more wars." He commanded me. I stood back in my own body as Metatron stood stock-still, calling the tablets into himself. They came from all over the globe, some from museums, some from the earth and under the sea. One even came out of my chest, the one he had buried in Eden before The Fall. The remaining half of Kevin's tablet, and the half he possessed, all came tumbling into the room one by one. The Winchesters looked on in disbelief as their future's work was done for them. I felt God lay a hand on the side of my face, and as it withdrew I felt Metatron go silently with it, a faint glow hovering over the tablets on the floor before they disintegrated into sand and ash. The orb travelled to a stop in front of Death, who held out his hand patiently, and snuffed out the light.

I retook possession of my vessel, a fierce longing in my bones to heal Castiel. His breathing was now labored and blood pooled in the back of his throat. I turned him to his side to let it out and once again tried to heal him only to be stopped by Chuck. This time he merely pressed me to the side and stood over my mate, just looking at him.

"Castiel, get up!" he yelled, and my mate's blue fire eyes snapped open, looking around curiously before coming to a standing position. He looked at me and smiled, a hand rubbing over his chest before looking bewildered at Chuck. God laughed, at ease, and simply said, "Yes, it's me, beloved son. Welcome back to the world again."

I grinned widely because not only had he brought Castiel back, but I sensed a new power in him, a stronger brew of Grace than had been there before.

"I made him an archangel, Eden. Now, come, I must explain some things before I depart." His shoulder, who simply sent back a thin smile. They walked over to stand in front of the Winchester brothers, who also stood, not wanting to feel belittled. Sam towered over everyone, a faint glower on his face, and Dean frowned characteristically.

"The world is in a new phase. The tablets have been destroyed, and there are no more dangers on earth other than fellow humans. I trust that in my absence, Castiel and his mate, Eden will run the game fairly and quite well." It took a minute for things to sink in.

"Wait, in your absence…?" Castiel asked, looking to me for an answer. Chuck looked at me as well, and the brothers' gaze followed.

"God is being reaped tonight. Castiel and I are to rule the earth. He is leaving it to us," I ended in a whisper, not believing it myself.

"Let me explain, my children," Chuck said wearily. "I have been slowly strengthening Eden for this task since I made her. She has always been stronger than the others, even the archangels she could beat at war games as a youngster. When I made Castiel- well, I made Cas for Dean actually, but neither of them turned out gay, so I changed the plan-" both Cas and Dean shook their heads, looking at each other and then away fast, embarrassed and incredulous. Chuck continued, sheepish at the admission. "When I saw Dean in the future I changed Castiel ever so slightly and made him Eden's mate. They were my most perfect and purposeful creations. Strong, willing, loyal and unquestioning… what more could a father ask for? I became jealous of their bond in the early days. Lucifer had recently fallen, and I found myself without a favorite. So I got rid of Rochiel by filling her up with lost souls, people I didn't want in heaven, but didn't deserve the punishment of Hell of Purgatory." The room had fallen silent. "I blanked Castiel's memory, and eventually led him to you two." He turned to the Winchesters. "And then, when you found me on earth thinking I was the prophet, I didn't know what to do! I had sent myself there out of shame for what I had done to my most beloved couple of angels. So I decided to set earth on a path that would lead them back together. I strengthened Eden up further, so she could break out, even putting part of myself in her to get the job done. When she came to earth, Castiel had been… bad as he puts it. He had destroyed many things. But I fixed them like any good parent, and even helped his mate find her way back to him. Oh, by the way Castiel, I took care of Naomi, she was a present from Metatron, who is now as you saw dead. But now I am weary and tired of the game. I have grown so…tired of it all. I know that these two will command the forces of heaven and hell fairly, be just and kind, and maintain peace on earth for a very, very long time." He sighed heavily, turning to face Death who tapped his wrist silently. Chuck scrubbed a hand through his beard and laid a hand on either Winchester, looking up at them.

"Dean," he began. The elder turned his wide, unbelieving eyes to Chuck. "Go back to Lisa. She will remember, and she forgives you. Go back to your son, live out your life, and be…_normal_." He almost chuckled, turning to Sam. "Sam, the same goes for you. Amelia loves you, despite the show she puts on to seem happy elsewhere. Go back to her and the dog, to the little house by the lake. Both of you deserve peace after what I have put you through to bring two rogue angels back together," gesturing over his shoulders at Cas and Eden who stood hand in hand. He turned away and walked to Death, who extended a hand with a thin smile, the other resting on the top of his cane. Chuck looked down at it, taking a deep breath and resting his own palm in the grip of the long pale fingers. "Hey," he called, looking at Castiel and Eden. He dug in his jeans pocket and tossed a set of keys to the two angels, winking. "Don't scratch the paint."

And with that they were alone.

**wpilogue within the next few days, please review! love you guys!**


	9. epilogue

**well, guys, here we go. it's my finals week, but as i have said before, this is my stress release. here's the final installment of North of Eden, and i hope you have loved her as much as i have. i have another story in the works and i'm planning on releasing it over Christmas 2012. **

**kripke owns all recognizable characters, and all mistakes are my own **

Epilogue: the new bosses

Castiel's perspective

Three days after the showdown we sat around a booth at a roadside diner called Armando's in Chattanooga. Dean and Sam had been only slightly injured and were healed fully now, except an errant scratch or two, thanks to myself and Eden.

As the new apparent rulers of Earth, we had returned to heaven after God's death, establishing a hierarchy for our new order. Basically, it was back to the elemental basics. Heaven was heaven, and the angels were only concerned with human matters insofar as keeping them in their own heavens. The humans on earth were as divided as ever, no change could be done there. We were not so concerned with the labels of humanity. We admitted people based on morality and virtuousness, not religion.

I felt an overwhelming sense of peace in this transition. I was with Eden; she would never be taken away again. For all intents and purposes, we were the new God. Together we could rule with fairness and peace, and this time no angels would cross both of us. That was our first established rule. Eden and myself were the only angels allowed on earth without explicit direction. No exceptions. The tablets had been destroyed, Metatron had taken them into himself before he died, ensuring their utter destruction.

We sent a small horde of angels to manage hell, and so far everything was going according to plan. The gates were all sealed, Purgatory had been destroyed, and there was nothing in the hereafter but death or heaven.

Eden wanted vaguely to raise Atlantis, heal it, but that would be a feat for later times. For now we ate with our charges at this small burger joint, discussing the future. Even the two of us were eating these fantastic "rebel burgers."

With a mouth full of half-swallowed meat, Dean asked the most imminent question. "We're going to be alright now…right?" he asked, taking a sip of coke. I smiled across the booth.

"Of course Dean. Nothing is allowed on earth anymore. It's just humans, and us two." Sam looked pleased with the fact that he was able to finally stop hunting, and Dean looked equally relieved but still wary behind the eyes.

Eden sighed, crossing her thighs under the table, sandwiching my hand between them from where it had been resting. She smiled vaguely. "You boys need to do what Chuck said. Go home to your women and _live_ for once. If you ever need us, Castiel and I are only a call away, like always. We have a standing no-exceptions list of guidelines for both sides of the supernatural to adhere to. Nothing is allowed here but us two. The world has, for lack of a better term, been re-set. It's at peace, for a while it will be."

Dean looked at least partly reassured, finishing his burger in silence. I noticed that Sam was silent, not eating. He was thinking of Amelia, and how impossible it would be to go back to her after everything, and her husband being back.  
"Sam," I interrupted his thoughts; his eyes flashed up to meet mine. "She doesn't care. Regardless of how _you_ would handle being walked on and ignored, she is willing to forgive and forget. Chuck managed to set a lot of things right before he left. Neither of you have anything to worry about, not anymore." Eden's hand had trailed down to lay atop mine under the table, and I found myself relishing the contact. "Would you like us to send you to your respective places after we eat?"

"Uh, yeah actually that would be nice," Sam muttered, brushing his hair behind his ears and sniffing. Dean rolled his eyes and shook his head. He needed the drive to think.

We paid and walked out, faces turning up to the sunshine. Sam pulled his bags out of the back seat and came to stand before us, looking like we were about to set him on fire.

"Relax," Eden whispered, and he did, unable to fight her. She stretched up, pressing two fingers to his forehead and sending him to the lake house with Amelia and their dog.

That left Dean, leaning against the Impala with his arms crossed. A moment of silence pervaded before I walked up to him and hugged him roughly. "Thank you, Dean, for everything these last four years." I said sincerely, releasing him and taking a step back. He was unused to my physical contact so he had awkwardly hugged back. "I honestly don't think I would have been brought back if it hadn't been for you. I mean, from being dead after the leviathans were freed?" I looked over my shoulder at Eden who was absently looking at me, keeping her eyes on the turbulent change of energy in heaven.

"Cas…" Dean started, calling my attention back to him. He was struggling with words, and I suppressed a small smile. "I don't even know where to begin. If you hadn't pulled me out when you did, and babysat us through killing Lucifer, we would have been suckered into saying yes and wound up dead. If anything we owe each other thanks for everything. You have never stopped being a best friend and another brother to me, despite the wings and being a huge nerd," he added for effect. I smiled widely, unable to help myself. We finally felt free and calm. I held out a hand, prepared to shake his and finally let him out of my sight, but he knocked it aside, coming in for another hug, scrunching his face up to hold back tears. He had never been allowed to really breathe and relax.

"Dean, go home." Eden called to us. He released me, patting a hard hand on my shoulder before walking to Eden and hugging her too. Wiping away a tear, he stomped back to the Impala and drove away, waving a hand out the window as he faded down the road to his perfect apple-pie life once again with Lisa and Ben.

I turned back to my mate, a soft smile playing on my lips. She extended her hand, which I took readily, and pulled me close. Standing chest to chest, the top of her head came in around my lips, making the simple gesture of kissing her forehead very possible.

"Want to go home?" I whispered against her skin, wrapping my arms around her shoulders as she did the same around my lower back. She shook her head minutely.

In a flash we were standing back outside our cabin in Alaska. I was surprised to see it still standing, but she had built it sturdy and not a shingle was lost to the harsh tundra winds. She pulled me inside, tearing off clothes as we crossed the threshold.

I sucked her bottom lip in between my teeth, capturing a soft moan as we tumbled onto the wide, cold bed. The charred bedding was still here, but a brush of the hand mended it anew. She growled into my mouth, waving away our clothes and rolling herself on top, pressing my back into the bed. Instead of fighting for the dominance, I tucked my hands under my head, preparing to watch her ride me. Without a blink she complied, sinking down on my length with a moan.

Our love making was rough and fast. We were parents of the world now, and had duties to return to. The world didn't stop for our intimacy. As we came down from our high, Eden tracing the red marks on my chest that her nails had left behind, I looked into those burnt wing patterns in the ceiling from our first adventure here, and realized exactly how short a time that had been. Less than two week separated me from the weak, half-full angel I had been, and the mated demigod I was now. I ruled the entire universe with my mate, and we were setting a new world order. She snuffled, nuzzling her face into the scruff of my neck. "We need to get back, Castiel. The angels are stirring." She chided and shoved off the bed, forming and clothing herself in a long, gauzy ivory-pink dress that had a laced keyhole back and long lacey sleeves which clung to her skin. As she turned from me, her golden-peaked wings stretched through the hole in the back, arching high over her head and flexing slightly. I felt my own rustle with the anticipation of returning home. I stood next to her, pulling on my trench coat that had become a second skin to me, checking quickly on Sam and Dean.

Sam was sitting on Amelia's couch, explaining the past several weeks to her in detail, sparing her no gore or myth. She listened and absorbed everything. I could see that she had already forgiven him, she was only curious at this point. The dog curled at Sam's feet, luxuriating in the lazy hand that worked through his coat.

I flicked to Dean who was just arriving at Lisa's house. He scrubbed a hand over his face as he opened the Impala's door and stepped out. Ben opened the door, his face lighting up in surprise. "MOM!" he yelled over his shoulder into the house. Lisa appeared a second later, cupping a hand to her mouth at the sight of the love of her life.

"D-dean?" she asked, stretching out a hand, which he took.

"Yeah. I'm…done. With everything. I just…I was told- I _wanted to-_ to come back…but I- I can leave if you-"

"No, stay, please. Stay this time." She interrupted his awkward monologue. He smiled down at his feet, accepting a hug from Ben, who nearly reached his own height now.

They walked into the house together, the door shutting behind them. I blinked out of the scene and looked back at Eden, waiting patiently by the door.

"Come along my love. We will come back to visit them in a while." I nodded and took her hand, kissing the back of it.

And with that, we departed Earth.

**leave me some reviews, lovelies, let me know what you think. i like to think i ended it on a good note. as always, xoxoxo. **

**Sapphirael**


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